


Wine & Understanding

by bgrrl



Category: Actor RPF
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-25
Updated: 2011-12-25
Packaged: 2017-10-28 02:04:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/302529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bgrrl/pseuds/bgrrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eve and Hayden understand each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wine & Understanding

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: It's all lies, as far as I know. This bunny bit me at 3am while I was watching, an old movie Tea & Sympathy. This is an homage to that film, but you don't have to know the film to enjoy the story. Italics indicates thought.
> 
> This fic was written in response to ewan_hayden's July challenge, The Other Woman

Ewan’s wife had come to the guest room to tell him that they’d be having dinner alone. The girls had been sent to her mother’s so that she, Ewan, and Hayden could have a quiet dinner. Jude however was experiencing some crisis and her husband had as ususal dropped everything to be with him.

 _  
_

_You knew about Jude when you married him._  She reminded herself.

  


Eve thought she heard her guest crying softly.

 _  
_

_I should look in on him. No, when I cry I like to be alone._ Mrs. McGregor tried not to think about all the times she cried, alone.

  


Against her wiser judgement, she opened the door silently. Young Mr. Christensen was sprawled across the bed naked. His head thrown back, tears streaming from behind his tightly shut eyes, hand wrapped around his cock moving fast. He was too far gone to sense her presence. She could tell he was close.

  


"Yes . . please Ewan ." He was sobbing now. "I love you." It was a plea. The words were almost strangled by his tears.

  


"Ewan" He half moaned, half sobbed as he came.

  


Eve didn’t move. She thought it was the saddest, most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She understood.

  


"Ewan won’t be joining us for dinner." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard her. Hayden’s eyes snapped open, but she was gone before he could say a word.

  


"Fuck."She saw him.  _No._ She  **heard** him. __

 _  
_

_God I can never look her in the eye again._  He knew spending the weekend at Ewan’s had been a bad idea.

 _  
_

_Ewan! Shit, when Ewan when found out_... . No, he was not going to think about that. Hayden had no clue what to do. Instinct said to just pack his stuff and get the hell out of there.

 _  
_

_I owe her better than that._  He liked Eve. She should at least get the satisfaction of throwing him out. The Canadian showered and dressed quickly. He took a deep breath and went to find his lover’s wife.

  


Hayden found her sitting in the dining room, the last rays of the sun throwing golden patches of light across her face. An open but untouched bottle of wine in front of her. He stood in the doorway not daring to move closer.

  


"Eve."

  


She looked up. When their eyes met he didn’t see anger or hate, just sadness.

  


"I know you must hate me, and I’m sorry."

  


She just stared, so he went on.

  


"I never meant for you to know I . . " His voice trailed off. What else is there to say to a woman who just saw you come with her husband’s name on your lips.

  


A tense silence stretched between them. It seemed like hours passed, but it was only a few seconds. Hayden started when he heard her voice.

  


"I don’t hate you."

  


"What?" It was said softly. He didn’t want to call Eve a liar, but he found her words hard to believe.

  


"I don’t hate you." Eve sounded more sure this time.

  


"Why not?" He had to know.

  


"Because you aren’t Jude." The name was said with unmitigated disgust.

  


She picked up two glasses and the bottle from the table. She walked past Hayden into the living room. He followed her. Eve sat down on the couch. When she was settled, she gestured toward the chair opposite her. She poured two glasses of wine and gave one to Hayden. She waited for the young man get comfortable before she spoke.

  


"You aren’t Jude. You don’t fuck my husband at my anniversary party. You don’t call him out of our bed in the middle of the night. You don’t need to constantly remind me that I’ll never be enough. You aren’t Jude." She took a sip of her wine.

  


He knew exactly what she meant. Hayden never minded coming after Eve, that made sense. But Jude, Hayden despised the Englishman. No matter how much he gave, how much he loved, Jude was still number one.

  


 _Needy, selfish, self-indulgent bastard. He only calls Ewan when he’s in need and Ewan always goes. Jude doesn’t know shit about love_. Hayden immediately stopped this train of thought. He was no better, and Eve deserved to know that.

  


"Ewan and I . ." He hesitated not wanting to say the words.

  


"... we’ve slept together." He downed his entire glass of wine.

  


Eve looked him in the eye.

  


"I know, but you feel bad about it. You don’t want to be second best. You know you shouldn’t accept the situation, but you do because you’re in love with him. You love him and it makes you hate yourself. You are  **not** Jude "

  


Hayden was stunned. It was as though she could read his mind. Every time he made love to Ewan he loathed himself a little bit more. It was damnation, and salvation all at once. Afterwards he couldn’t stand the sight of his face in the mirror. Every time he promised himself it would be the last time. Every time he made that promise he knew he would break it. The thought of never feeling Ewan inside him again was unbearable. Eve understood. That was more than Hayden would have asked for and, more than he deserved.

 _  
_

_How does she. . ._

  


"I understand" ,she said in answer to his unspoken question, "because I cry too."

  


She poured them both another glass of wine. They sat silently drinking, and waiting for Ewan.

  


The room was lit only by moonlight, when the shrill ring of the phone broke the silence. Eve let the machine pick it up.

  


"Evie, I don’t think I’m going to make it back to night. Jude..."

  


"I can’t believe she’s gone." Jude’s drunken crying in the background.

  


"Jude needs me. I love you. Apologize to Haydes for me. I’ll make it up to you both. Promise."

  


The second Ewan hung up, Eve hurled the empty bottle against the wall.

  


"Fuck." she screamed as it shattered. Two bottles of wine later that is exactly what they did. Fuck, in the bed she shared with Ewan. Fuck fast and angry, neither trying to hide the their tears. They hated Jude. They hated themselves. They both screamed Ewan’s name when they came. They understood each other perfectly.


End file.
